Review of Heidi

Heidi (1937)
4/10
Heidi-Hi & Heidi-Ho!
20 November 2015
Yes. Of course, I do realize that this movie is now 80 years old (and, yes, times were definitely different back then) - But, hey, from my point of view - I thought it was actually pretty sad to see how Hollywood had typecast young actress Shirley Temple to the point where, at the age of 9 (in Heidi), she was still playing the exact same, cookie-cutter character that she had been continually playing since the age of 4.

(Of course, Temple would continue to play this exact same character for yet another 4 years, until she started to develop breasts and make demands that her studio cast her in more demanding and age-appropriate roles)

For the most part - (From an adult's perspective) - I found this 1937 picture (whose story was set in 1880) to be far too overly sentimental for its own good and way too heavy-handed when it came to its emphasis on the "religious" angle of its story.

Yes. There were some OK moments in this picture - But, from where I was sitting, I just could not warm up to Shirley Temple's recycled-to-death screen-persona of chubby cheeks, golden ringlets and plucky demeanor, ad nauseam.
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